The USDA announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin applying for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up starting April 17 through May 26, 2023.

The National Milk Producers Federation is expected to submit its own FMMO hearing request to the USDA later in April.

Central to IDFA and WCMA petitions are make allowances, incorporated into FMMO milk pricing formulas two decades ago.

Here’s an update on risk management tools available through the USDA and/or USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), as well as information impacting your milk check.

In addition to state and regional dairy producers, organization leaders, processors and others, Progressive Dairy reached out to industry representatives with a broader view of the state of dairy entering 2023. Here are summaries of their comments.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Feb. 27 announced it would publish a final rule to amend how the adverse effect wage rates for the H-2A program are set to improve the rates’ consistency and accuracy based on the actual work performed by H-2A workers and to better prevent their employment negatively affecting the wages of similarly employed U.S. workers.

The USDA announced on Feb. 13 new investments and strategies to help farmers and ranchers conserve water, address climate change and build drought resilience in the West, supported in part by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Digest highlights

• Hearing set to consider southeast U.S. FMMO proposals
• Farmers sought for study about how they balance children and work
• JDS: Milk’s packaging influences its flavor
• Other news, briefly